Not My Fault
by Amers3
Summary: It's Ranger's turn to have a stalker only this one isn't playing by the rules and keeps targeting Steph.
1. Collusion

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

_A/N: This story has some references to my other story Ranger's Distraction, but not enough to call it a sequel._

* * *

Steph pulled into the police station to drop off the skip. The skip got out of the car easily enough but on the way into the station he was able to check Steph. Steph off balance fell down to her knees; her skip was doing a half jogged type run away from the station. Before the skip could get far a black Porsche pulled into the lot. Ranger left his car in the middle of the lot and went after the skip. Steph pulled herself up and went to go 'help' Ranger. 

Ranger helped Steph get the skip into the station.

"He's a higher bond than what you normally go after." Ranger commented.

Steph glanced at him of course he would talk now, the man of mystery with one-word sentences.

"Rents due soon." Ranger nodded, like he understood. Which she doubted.

Steph got her body receipt and together they walked out of the station.

"Thanks for helping me. Again."

"Babe."

"Is that you're welcome?"

"You could come back to Rangeman, then you'd always have back up."

"But Vinnie…"

"Rangeman could take some of the lower bonds."

Steph screwed up her face thinking about it.

"I guess that would work."

"You can start today. Head on over, I'll follow you."

Steph got in her car and started to make her way to Haywood. Ranger got his car out of the middle of the parking lot and pulled out behind Steph. His cell phone rang on the way over, Ranger looked at the ID, unknown. That wasn't suppose to happen, he'd have to chew out whoever was in the comm. room. He debated about answering it as it rang a third time.

"Yo."

"This is your first warning, you're mine."

Before he could say anything he saw Steph's car go right through a red light. He sat helpless as her car went like a pinball around the intersection. He was out of his car before her car came to a stop, his call momentarily forgotten. The traffic was now stalled; Steph's car was crushed on all sides.

Ranger ran over to the car, Steph sat unmoving in the front sit. It didn't look like she was bleeding but her door was jammed shut and he couldn't get it open. As he ran around to the passenger side he could hear sirens approaching. Ranger opened the door causing it to fall off in his hand. He slid into the seat and gently patted Steph's cheek.

"Babe?"

She groaned and tried to move.

"Come on, Steph."

She was just coming around when two medics were able to pry her door off. They checked her out and deemed her ready for transport. Ranger left his car where it was, there was no way he would be able to get around the congested road to follow the ambulance. The medics loaded Steph into the ambulance, and then Ranger followed the medics in. It looked as if the medics were going to give him grief about it, but after a single glare from him they went about their business of securing Steph.

The medics treated her quickly and efficiently. He tried to understand what they were talking about but most of it was in medical jargon.

"What happened?"

It took Ranger a moment to realize the medic was talking to him.

"I don't know she went right through the light. She didn't even slow down."

When his phone rang he gave a questioning look at the medics and they nodded allowing him to answer it.

"Yo."

"What's going on you've been at that light for twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes? It had been longer than that since Ranger had watched Steph get hit. He could see it again all of it happening again in slow motion.

"Ranger?"

"Steph's had an accident. Send someone to get the car. Then meet me at the hospital with the insurance papers."

When they arrived at the hospital they took Steph immediately, leaving Ranger to wait it out in the waiting room.

Tank arrived not ten minutes later file folder in hand. He wasn't the only one that showed up, more than half his employees were there as well.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"She get shot at?"

"No."

"Ranger, come on man, she going to be okay?"

"I can answer that." The two of them hadn't noticed the nurse that had stepped into the room. "Miss. Plum will be fine. A lot of bruising and some whiplash but other than that she will be fine."

"She was unconscious when I got to her."

"Either the air bag deploying or the impact of one of the cars that hit her could have caused that. There is nothing to worrying about."

"Thank God." Ranger sat down in one of the plastic chairs, his head in his hands.

Tank waited until the nurse left then began grilling Ranger again.

"What happened?"

"She didn't stop. She just drove right into the intersection."

Tank nodded, "Come on man let's go see her."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Steph was lying in bed staring at the ceiling when they walked in. She had bruises on her arms and one on her nose from where the airbag had hit.

"Babe."

"Get me out of here."

Tank snorted from the doorway.

"Come on Bomber you where just in an accident."

"I have no broken bones. I think I should be able to go home."

"Babe."

"Well. How, long do I have to stay here?"

"I'll go find out, Bomber." Tank left the room leaving Ranger and Steph alone.

"You scared me."

"What?"

"When you went through the light."

"I didn't do it on purpose."

"I would hope not."

"I pressed the brake and nothing happened. I even tried pressing down on it with both feet and nothing."

Bobby came in there. "You can leave later today Bombshell."

"Yes." Steph exclaimed pumping her fist (the one not hooked to the IV) in the air.

"Hey Cupcake."

"Joe." Steph tilted her head at him. "I'm only allowed two people to see me at a time. Don't you remember from the last couple of times I was here?"

Morelli scowled, glancing at ranger. Ranger only stared back.

"Fine." Bobby grunted. "I'll be back Bombshell."

"Okay. Thanks Bobby." He left shaking his head and muttering something.

It was Steph's turn to glare. "Joe couldn't it have waited?"

"Sorry, Cupcake, but I thought you'd want to know your brakes were cut."

"But they worked earlier in the day."

"When was the last time you used them?"

"When I parked at the police station."

That was met with silence. Joe was scribbling something down in his notebook. Ranger sat with his blank face on and his jaw clenched.

"I'll be back, Babe." Ranger left the room allowing Bobby to go in and talk to Steph.

Ranger went to go find Tank.

"Yo."

Tank turned to look at him. "She okay?"

"Yeah. I got a call."

"Mission?"

"No threat, right before Steph went through the light."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"I'll call the comm. room and have them search your skips instead of Steph's."

"Check the guys that just got out of jail."

"They know, boss. Relax we'll get him."

Tank saw Bobby look out of Steph's room with a worried look on his face. Tank nodded towards it and Ranger turned.

"Let me know what they find."

Ranger could hear Joe and Steph arguing before he got into the room.

"Ranger!" Steph said relieved.

As soon as Ranger stepped into the room, Bobby left practically running.

"Manoso, tell her she's got to get a different job, this one will kill her."

"Babe, I'm sorry…"

"You agree with him?!?" Morelli looked smug.

"No, definitely not. Whoever did this to you was after me."

"After you? Well that's a switch."

Ranger produced one of his half smiles at that. Joe was no longer look quite so happy.

"See Cupcake, this is why you shouldn't hang out with him you get hurt."

"Joe, I get my own share of stalkers all on my own."

Joe threw his hands up into the air and stormed out of the room.

"Geez that went well."

"Usually does." Lester commented from the doorway.

"HEY!"

"How you doing Bomber?"

"I'd be better if I could get out of here."

"How long you got?"

Steph turned to Ranger.

"Till the doctors say she can go."

"Please Ranger, help me out of here."

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"I think you'd be safer with me until this is over."

Steph sat stunned for a minute. "I thought this fellow was after you."

"He is."

"So wouldn't I be safer away from you?"

"Is that what you want?"

"No." Steph said a little too quickly.

Ranger gave her one of his half smiles that meant he found her amusing.

"This way you'll always have someone watching you."

Steph got up on her elbow so she could look him right in the eye. It was probably the pain meds that were making her so daring.

"You weren't going to have me stay in the building were you? Without consulting me?"

Ranger looked over at Lester, who was trying to cover up his laughter with a coughing fit. Lester only shook his head leaving him on his own.

"No?" Ranger questioned, both of us knowing that that was exactly what he was doing.

"No." I agreed.

"Babe." Ranger sighed.

"Ranger there is no reason for me to stay with you. If I stay at my place I should be fine."

Ranger sat there smiling.

"What?"

"No reason?"

Steph blushed.

"What are you thinking Bomber?" Lester wanted to know.

Steph ignored him focusing on Ranger. "What reason?"

"Ella."

Steph's eyes momentarily glazed over as she thought of Ella's cooking.

"Wow boss, that was a neat trick." Lester the room to go fill in the rest of the guys that Ranger bribed me to stay at Rangeman with Ella's cooking.


	2. Suspects

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

* * *

Ranger took Steph to her apartment on the way to Rangeman. 

"Ranger?"

"Babe?"

"How much stuff am I grabbing?"

"If you need more I can send the guys to pick something up."

Steph came out of her room, her arms filled with clothes. "I don't want the guy s going through my clothes."

"Babe, I think they would be more embarrassed from touching your underwear then you would be."

He had a point.

By the time Steph had decided what she wanted to bring Ranger had strode into her bedroom. He saw the piles of clothes everywhere and winched.

"Don't forget your uniform." Ranger said quickly before leaving.

Steph let out a little screech and had to repack her bag.

Ranger drove in his normal stony silence to Rangeman. Steph sat squirming in her seat.

"Babe."

"Do you have any suspects?"

"I was wondering if you would ask."

"That doesn't answer me."

"There will be a meeting."

Great a meeting, fun. "I can go?"

Ranger nodded his head.

They pulled into the garage and Steph almost leapt from the car before it had stopped. They only thing that had stopped her was Ranger's hand on her arm.

"Wait."

When he put the car in park, he took his hand off her arm and allowed her to get out. Steph grabbed her bag and had Ranger carry Rex. Ranger looked unsure of Rex, he kept glancing down at the cage in his hand the whole way up to seven. Guess he wasn't a pet person.

Steph decided that since it was only a meeting that she shouldn't have to dirty one of her few outfits for it. She redid her makeup and fixed her hair and was ready to go. Ranger had a different opinion.

"Babe."

"Please don't make me change."

Ranger shook her head and pointed back to the bedroom.

"Fine."

At the bedroom door she turned to make a face at him, but he was no longer standing there. She made a break for it. She made inside the elevator without changing her clothes. She was jumping up and down applauding herself.

She walked into the meeting in her jeans and shirt, the entire room went quiet as they looked at her outfit.

"Hey Bombshell. How you feeling?" Lester broke the silence.

"Better, where's Ranger?" Steph tried to play innocent.

Tank shook her head at her apparently they weren't buying it.

"Babe." Ranger said from behind me.

"There you are." Steph smiled but he looked pissed.

"Let's start." Ranger stated and everybody began taking their seats.

Steph tried to take a seat away from Ranger, but the Merry Men had left her no choice. She sat down next to him looking at eh file that was placed in front of her. As various guys started talking about what they had found she zoned out, glancing through her file. One of the pages was a list of the guys that had recently gotten out of jail in order of their probability of being the so-called 'bad guy.'

Freddy Sanchez

Thomas Tepes

Seth Ferdinand

Alan Dessoff

Eli Dupree

Marius King

Raphael Norwood

Lance Adale

Holy shit. If this was just the guys that got out recently how many hand stayed behind bars. Holey rusted metal, Batman! He was good.

Steph recognized a couple of names from the list that she had helped bring in. She couldn't help but laugh when she got to Lance Adale's name. Every head the in room turned to look at her.

"Adale?"

"What?"

"Lance Adale? The gay guy?"

"Stephanie." Oops Ranger was mad I brought that up.

"You never know." Tank responded.

"Yeah the boss will just have to watch his back, literally." Lester broke out laughing.

"Enough." Ranger sent a look to Steph. "You can go upstairs if you want."

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Just suggesting."

Steph got up took her file and left the conference room. There was no way she was telling him that she really had wanted out of there. She wasn't paying attention and anything that she might have needed to know Ranger will tell her later.

She hopped into the shower when she got upstairs using Ranger's shower gel. Heaven. Instead of getting ready for bed she just threw on ranger's robe. It was nice and soft and she couldn't resist. She looked around the apartment they still weren't done with that meeting, now she was glad she hadn't stayed. So which would it be Ghostbusters or one of Ranger's movies?

An hour in to Ghostbusters the apartment phone rang.

Steph stared at it. Was she suppose to answer it? It was Ranger's phone, but it was probably one of the Merry Men, who else would call? His family? She ignored it. Her cell phone rang next.

"Yo."

"You didn't answer the phone."

"It's not my phone."

"Babe."

"That it?"

"We are going to be paying a visit to Freddy Sanchez, you okay?"

He was checking in with me, cute.

"Yeah, me and Rex are watching Ghostbusters."

There was a silence on the other end. She could hear the guys in the background issuing orders and gearing up.

"He isn't running free up there is he?"

"No he is in his cage."

She heard him let out a rush of air, she had made him nervous. Cool.

Not ten minutes after she hung she decided that she might as well go to bed it was almost midnight and she wasn't waiting up for Ranger.

She shut off the DVD player; before she could turn off the TV she saw that it was on the news channel. God that man was weird. As she shut it off she heard something on the news channel caught her eye.

Freddy Sanchez. Dead.

That was where Ranger and the Merry Men were going. She could be mean and let them go and found out for themselves or she could go tell them.

She rushed out of the seventh floor apartment and into the elevator. Hopefully they hadn't already left.

Steph went down to the fifth floor opening the conference room doors she found the guys checking their earpieces and mics. When she opened the door Ranger looked over at her, his eyes darkening. The entire group of guys in there were staring at her.

She had forgotten that she was wearing Ranger's robe. Oops.

"Babe?"

Before she could answer Lester cut in.

"Damn, Beautiful looking good. When we get back I'll have to take you up to four and see if you look that good in my robe."

I glared at him; maybe I shouldhave let them go.

"Sanchez is dead."

The reprimand that Ranger was going to give Lester died on his lips.

"You sure?"

"Said so on the news they even showed a guy who looked like him riddled with holes. "

"Tank, Lester go find out if it's him. Everyone else keeps working in case it isn't him. Thanks Babe."

Steph smiled at him and made her way back to seven. While she was waiting for the elevator she was thinking of forgiving him. The elevator dinged open but before she could go in she felt hands settled on my hips. Ranger. She turned in his arms. Before she could say anything he kissed her. Now she knew she was going to forgive him who cared about meetings anyways.

Then she heard something drop behind them and Ranger lifted his head. Bobby was standing in a pile a papers openly gawking at us.

"Brown." Ranger growled.

"Thought you'd want to know Seth Ferdinand, Alan Dessoff, Eli Dupree have all been accounted for." He rushed to pick up the papers and went on his way.

Ranger reached out and kept the elevator doors from closing. He gave Steph a little shove inside. Before the doors closed he gave her another approving look.

"I'll be up as soon as I can."

Steph didn't have to wait long. She was curled up under Ranger's sheets in one of his shirts. Ranger took his own shower before climbing in behind her, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her close.

"I can't believe you let the men see you like that."

"I was covered."

She felt him grin into her hair, "Go to sleep we run in the morning."

Then Ranger was digging a finger in between her ribs. "Babe."

"I just fell asleep."

"It's time to get up." She grabbed the pillow she was laying on and threw it at him. He caught it easily, and then dragged her out of bed. He slung her over his shoulder giving her a look at his… He was naked!

"Hey what do you think...?" Ranger made sure he had a good grip on Steph before turning the water on freezing. She shrieked and kicked while she cursed him.

Steph was still cursing him an hour later after their run. The up side was that he had made her run in the gym so she had plenty of guys to ogle. Ranger had tried to get her to eat his pathetic breakfast, but she fought that one. She got the full course breakfast, thanks to Ella.


	3. Candy Thief

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

_A/N: The Bold and Italicized Names are the ones crossed off, strike-through didn't work._

Ranger had her working on searches today as to keep her busy and to keep her inside. When she had finished those she went over the list of suspects again, crossing off whom it couldn't be.

_**Freddy Sanchez**_ (Dead)

Thomas Tepes

_**Seth Ferdinand**_ (DUI)

_**Alan Dessoff**_ (Mexico)

_**Eli Dupree**_ (Pregnant)

Marius King

Raphael Norwood

Lance Adale

It turned out Seth had been jail since Vinnie wouldn't bond him out, so he wasn't it. Eli was pregnant and almost to term so there was no way she was crawling under cars cutting brakes. Alan had fled to Mexico as soon as he got out, since they were trying to murder charges on him. It wasn't likely that he would be seen anywhere near a police station. It was amazing how quickly the Merry Men had been able to wrangle up information on these guys.

"Hey Beautiful!" 

Steph looked up from her list.

"Hey Lester."

"You were right he was dead, he tried to stiff one of the Families and they don't take to kindly to that."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Want another?"

"Tip? You're going to give it to me anyways."

"You should go for a shorter robe and have it tied together very loosely next…" Lester was then whacked on the back of his head.

"Santos the boss hears you, you're dead."

Lester rubbed his head then nodded towards the list. "Who you like?"

She tried to raise an eyebrow at him but it didn't work.

"I don't know who these two are." She said pointing to Marius and Raphael. "So it seems unlikely that they would try to harm me. Only people who know me want to kill me right?"

Lester snorted back a laugh. "Go on."

"I think it might be Tepes he knows me, he has hurt me before, and Ranger did do a number on him. Plus I really just hate Tepes for getting the better of me."

"Could be but the phone call…"

"What phone call?"

"Santos." Ranger laid a hand on his shoulder guiding him away from my cubicle. Ranger leaned against my doorway staring at me in the standard bad-ass pose.

"You didn't tell me about the call." Steph pouted in her chair.

"It was right before you got hit." He leaned forward and traced the fading bruise on her nose.

"So tell me know and I won't get mad."

Ranger just smiled at her. Steph turned to her computer and searched for the file. Before she could find it Ranger's hand covered hers.

"Babe."

"Ranger." Steph pouted out her lip to see if that would get the information out of him. He just shook his head and did that damn half smile.

"Come on." Ranger grabbed her arm and pulled it so she would follow him. He led her into his office.

"It was a standard call."

"So why are we hiding in your office."

Ranger flashed his wolf grin. "I figured I'd fill you in on the meeting you missed."

"You kicked me out!"

"You could have stayed and slept through it right there if you'd wanted.

"Let's hear about this phone call." Ranger grinned knowing he had won that round.

"This is your first warning, you're mine." Steph sat waiting for Ranger to continue.

"What's so bad about that?"

"Right as they said that I watched your car go flying through the intersection."

"Oh."

Ranger didn't give her anytime to rehash her game of bumper cars from the day before. He told her everything that she had missed. Most of it was running through what the searches had pulled up. Then there was the part where they had planned to go get Sanchez, which had been a bust.

Ranger had got her caught up and she was getting ready to go back to her searches when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Ranger called out.

Tank stuck his head in the door. "Boss, Bombshell." He nodded in my direction. 

"Tank."

"Marius King was laid up in the hospital at the time. His entire right leg is in a cast. He was admitted last week, when he quote fell off a ladder unquote."

"You don't believe him?"

"Doctor I talked to didn't believe him, according to the doc the breaks are exactly were they should be if one was hit by a car."

"So someone hit him and he lied about it."

"That's stupid." Steph added in.

"Indeed." Ranger agreed. "What else?"

"King won't be released for another week yet since he doesn't have anyone at home that can help him get around. So he's off the list.

Steph followed Tank out of the office and went to her cubicle. She dug around her desk until she found the list.

**_Freddy Sanchez_** (Dead)

Thomas Tepes

_**Seth Ferdinand**_ (DUI)

_**Alan Dessoff**_ (Mexico)

_**Eli Dupree**_ (Pregnant)

_**Marius King**_ (Broken Leg)

_**Raphael Norwood**_ (Hospital)

Lance Adale

That leaves three. Steph thought as she looked over the list. Maybe it would be safe enough now that she could go after a skip. She was getting kind of bored sitting around all day. She thought about asking Ranger if she would be able to go out and bring in a skip, but she already knew what his answer would be. Maybe they could compromise, he'd let her go out and she'd have one of the Merry Men along. 

"Absolutely not." Ranger stated when Steph asked.

She should have seen that coming. Now he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. She was screwed.

"Ranger I'm going to go crazy in here."

A small smile graced Ranger's lips.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"I saw that smile. You already think I'm crazy?"

"Of course."

Steph stood in front of him with her mouth hanging open. When Steph recovered she stormed out of Ranger's office and into her cubicle. She sat down. Men. She needed chocolate. She rooted around through her drawer but her candy bar was gone. She started taking stuff out of the drawer and where her chocolate stash should have been was a note in very familiar handwriting.

_Babe._

That's it he's dead. He called her crazy and stole her chocolate. He's dead. 

She sat there thinking about fun ways to bump Ranger off. After that last most satisfying way she discovered that it hadn't helped. She still wanted chocolate. She grabbed her purse and her keys. 

She was making a mental list on the way down to the garage of what type of junk food she would be getting. In the middle of her list she thought about telling someone where she was headed. No. It was only two blocks away and they were tracking her. She'd be fine.

On the way to the store it started to drizzle. And of course she hadn't thought to grab her jacket.

Of course the parking fairy doesn't like her so she had to park near the street, the furthest away from the door. She sat there debating whether it was worth it. Hell yeah. She pulled her purse closer to her, readied herself for the run, and then opened the door. She made the mad dash for the door in a chocolate frenzy.

She brought candy and cookies and just about every other sweet that Ranger didn't have stocked at his apartment. Which was everything.

Before the cashier could put her candy in the bag half of it was already devoured. Saving the rest for the office she started towards her car. Not quite at the pace she had set heading for the store. And it was a good thing she had.

She was ten feet away from her car when it blew. 

Steph stood there stunned. Not again. Was the first thing that went through her mind, Probably not a good thing.

She could already hear the sirens so there was no reason for her try to find her phone in her purse. They would already be here by the time she had anyways.

Steph wasn't the only one getting surprises today. Not long after she left Ranger had received another phone call. "Your second warning. You're mine." Was all the cryptic caller had stated. Just like last time.

Last time Steph was hurt.

Ranger called the comm. room and before Woody could answer Ranger was already talking.

"Where's Steph?"

"She left about five minutes ago."

"Where she going?"

"Looks like she stopped at the store."

"The store?"

"Yep, give me a sec."

Ranger waited impatiently while Woody checked on something.

"Looks like she was looking around in her desk for something before she left."

Hanging up Ranger made his way to Steph's desk. On the top of the pile that was covering her desk was the note he left her when he had taken her candy stash. Shit.


	4. Stalker

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

* * *

Steph was sitting on the curb next to the ruins of yet another one of his cars. Morelli had already arrived and yelled at her for being so careless. The purr of an engine alerted her that Ranger had arrived. That was the only sound of him arriving, the next thing she knew he was beside her.

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Ranger looked over at the burnt carcass of her car.

"At least today can't get worse."

Steph looked at him appalled.

"Don't you ever watch TV? It _always_ gets worse whenever someone says that."

Ranger shrugged off his jacket and put it around her.

"Put this on."

"Hold this."

She shoved her purse in to his arms so she could put her arms into his jacket. Ranger stood there holding her purse until she snagged it back. Ranger shook his head.

"Go get in the car and warm up, I'll be right there."

As Steph was walking to the car she felt something hitting against her leg. She reached into the pocket and pulled out Ranger's keys. She couldn't help the grin the spread over her face. She looked over her shoulder Ranger was talking to the cops. Good. She got right in the driver's side, started the car watching for Ranger's reaction.

His head had whipped around. His jaw dropped and was now mimicking a fish. She got Ranger! She was marking this day on her calendar.

Ranger made a hasty retreat from the cops and got in the car before Steph found a reason to leave him behind. Not only had he forgotten his keys were in his jacket but his phone as well. Steph was grinning like crazy when he got in.

"Where to?"

"Your driving, Babe." Her grin got even wider.

Steph took off towards Haywood using a round about way. Ranger stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and dug out his phone. Steph smiled at him as he began making phone calls.

"Talk." Tank answered.

"She's fine." Ranger got a grunted response and hung up the phone.

Steph was staring at him.

"What?"

"That was a whole conversation?"

"Yep."

"Unbelievable."

After a minute of silence Ranger spoke up again.

"I got another call."

"Like last time?"

He nodded.

"So he did this?"

"Looks like."

"I guess I can't go after skips now, hunh?"

Ranger gave one his smiles that told me I was amusing him. Then unsurprisingly he went into his zone even though he wasn't the one driving.

Steph pulled into the garage when she could no longer avoid it. Tank was standing there waiting when they got there. He walked right over to the driver's side door waiting to talk to Ranger.

"We found…"

"Hey Tank." Tank looked taken back and glanced at Ranger.

"What?"

"You let her drive?" He said a grin spreading over his face.

"He unknowingly gave me the keys." Steph couldn't help the grin that split her face. "So what are you doing down here?"

Tank looked between the two of them and then addressed Ranger. "Raphael Norwood has been located. He is in the Franklin Memorial Hospital in Maine."

"Wow. Bad guys get hurt too. Good to know." Steph commented."

"Yeah. Right. He was involved in a shot out with the local authorities. He has been in the hospital for the last few days with an armed guard on duty."

"So he's not your guy."

"Nope."

"Two left."

"We're getting there."

The three of them made their way up to the fifth floor.

Woody was waiting for them when they got to there. He swooped Steph up in a hug, "You're okay. I was watching the monitors and my heart nearly went when I saw your car disappear." He put Steph down and went back to watching monitors. Tank and ranger exchanged a look behind Steph's back. The Merry Men were going soft over the white Burg girl.

Steph made her way over to her desk; she had to update her list of suspects.

_**Freddy Sanchez** _(Dead)

Thomas Tepes

**_Seth Ferdinand_** (DUI)

**_Alan Dessoff_** (Mexico)

**_Eli Dupree_** (Pregnant)

**_Marius King_** (Broken Leg)

**_Raphael Norwood_** (Hospital)

Lance Adale

Only two to go and both were on her shit list. Tepes had beaten her up good during a distraction where he had recognized her. And Adale was the gay guy that ranger had been forced to bring in. God the guys had teased her mercilessly for weeks after that one. Finishing up the new searches that the dreaded Rodriguez had added to her in box she decided to go hang out in Ranger's apartment and start in the remaining junk food that she had left.

Ranger followed her upstairs hours later. Steph had already gone into a sugar coma as she ate her way through a box of Oreos.

"Would you like me to order dinner?"

Steph looked at him like he was crazy. She was sitting there eating Oreos right out of the box. That was all the dinner she needed, well okay Ben & Jerry's afterwards.

"Babe."

"What?"

"Those things will kill you."

She pulled the next Oreo from the box; one of the cookies had been put on the wrong way.

"Ranger my Oreo's messed up."

"Throw it out."

She paused with the cookie half way to her mouth staring at him like he had told her to go jump off a bridge.

"What's wrong with you?"

Ranger grinned at her with the 1000-watt smile that made her melt. Ranger walked over to her while she was still zoning out from his smile and he nabbed the box.

"Hey." She said trying to grab the box back.

"Dinner." Steph sat on the couch and pouted with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Ranger." She whined.

"Not going to work." Ranger walked over to the phone and called Ella.

Ella brought up dinner twenty minutes later. Neither of them talked while they ate. Occasionally Steph would look over at the Oreo box and then glare at Ranger. He only smiled and shook his head.

"Only if you eat all your vegetables." He laughed at the look of disgust on her face.

Before they could finish eating Ranger's cell phone rang. Ranger pulled it off his belt and answered it.

"Yo."

"You're mine." And the caller hung up again.

The apartment phone started ringing before ranger could hang up.

Ranger got up to get that phone. "Yo."

"Wasn't long enough." Tank informed him.

"Thought so."

"What he'd say?"

'"You're mine.'"

"Same as the others."

"But without a warning."

Steph sat there listening not believing her ears.

"Men." She snorted from her seat on the counter, where she had been able to get the Oreo box.

"Hang on." Ranger told Tank. "What was that?" He asked Steph.

"Why didn't you tell me what the caller had said?"

"Would it have made a difference?"

'"You're mine' sure does."

"It does?"

"Yeah."

Ranger stood there waiting for her to go on.

"Well?"

"Can Tank hear me I don't want to have to go through this twice."

Ranger shook his head and went back to the phone. "Come up." He sounded into the phone and then hung up.

Steph sat on the counter swinging her feet, waiting for Tank to arrive. Ranger walked over to her and put his hands on either side of her. Steph took another cookie out of the box and held it in front of Ranger's mouth. "No." He tried to say but only ended up with the cookie being shoved in.

"Thanks."

"Uh-oh extra laps tomorrow."

"And guess who's coming with me."

Steph's head dropped, wishing she hadn't done that.

Tank knocked on the door, and without waiting came in.

"Yeah?"

"Steph might have figured it out."

"Might have?" She asked.

Ranger waved his hand to encourage her to continue. Steph attempted to raise her eyebrow at him but failed.

"Ok fine. 'You're mine.' That suggests ownership, exclusive rights, like a possession. Tepes doesn't want to own you he wants you dead. This guy wants me dead so he can have you. Duh. It's Adale. Ranger you have a gay stalker."

Tank laughed out loud at that.

"You didn't need Tank here to tell me this."

"No but this way there was a witness so you could send me off to some third world country."

"But 'you're mine" could meant that it Tepes letting me know that he is coming to kill me."

"If you're going to kill someone why would you let that person know before hand?"

Ranger opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. He looked genuinely stumped. Tank shook his head and answered his phone when it rang.

"Talk."

"Yep."

"Okay."

"I'll tell him."

Steph watched Tank and couldn't believe that consisted of an entire conversation.

"Tepes was checked into a hospital earlier tonight. It seems his girlfriend caught him with another women and she beat the shit out of him."

"Wow, that's one feisty woman." Steph commented.

"Hector was also able to find an address for Adale so we could go bust his ass if we wanted to."

"Have to."

"Thought so, they are getting everything ready now."

"Good."

"I want to go." Steph added in.

They both turned to look at her. Tank slid a glance as Ranger, shrugged and walked out the door.

"Coward." Ranger muttered. "Babe, you're staying here."

"But Ranger…"

"No."

"I can't stay here."

Ranger looked at her with his eyebrow raised waiting for her to continue.

"I want to go with."

Ranger looked at her exasperated. "You can't."

"But he's gay." Steph said bringing out her trump card.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Babe."

"I'm going to be the only one he's not going to hit on. I have to protect you and the guys."

Ranger hung his head acknowledging that she was right.

"Go get ready. We leave in ten minutes."


	5. Saved!

**Standard Disclaimer Applies:**

* * *

Ten minutes later the guys were packing themselves into two SUVs. When the elevator doors binged, they all looked over to see whom they had gotten there late.

Steph stepped out into the garage into silence.

"Boss?" Tank questioned.

"It's fine."

Ranger went over and slung his arm around Steph's shoulders. He helped her into the SUV that Lester and Bobby were in. He signaled to the truck that had Hal, Ram, Woody, and Tank inside, Tank pulled their truck out first.

Inside their SUV Steph could hear Tank and Ram talking from the speakers. Neat.

"Where we headed?" Ram wanted to know.

"Adale's place is off of Stark Street." Tank grunted.

They were pulling away from Haywood when Ranger starting talking, to the surprise of the guys in the back.

"You stick with me got it? You don't leave me side."

"Is that because you're afraid of him?"

"No."

"Un-huh."

"Rangeman why would you be afraid of him?" Lester asked from the back.

Steph answered for him. "He's afraid because Adale is gay and he wants me by him because I'm the only one that he won't hit on."

"Hold the phone." Woody exclaimed from the other vehicle.

"Ranger…"

"Boss..."

"Dude…"

"Enough." Ranger barked and quiet transcended in both trucks. "If he leers at you just hide behind Steph she'll protect you."

Ranger humor. Great. What if they took him seriously? Steph got a picture of the guys trying to stay hidden behind her. She couldn't help it she laughed.

Ranger looked over at her. What she couldn't help herself. It was funny.

After that the ride was made in silence each of the men were contemplating how they would avoid an encounter with the gay man.

It took less then twenty minutes to get to Adale's house.

"Maybe he won't be home." Bobby said hopefully from the back seat. There was a chorus "Yeahs."

Ranger sat there shaking his head.

"Maybe I should have brought Hector."

"Maybe?" Lester said from the back seat.

"What if they ended up liking each other?" Steph wanted to know.

The guys in the car shivered at that thought.

"Let's move out. Tank you guys go around the back we'll take the front." Ranger kept issuing orders that meant nothing to Steph. She sat waiting until Ranger told her what she was supposed to do.

"Babe, ready?"

"Sure."

"You loaded?"

"Yes." She opened her gun up to show him that there were bullets inside of it.

"Good."

Ranger took lead as they went up to the little one-story run down shack. Steph followed him up with Bobby and Lester followed watching their backs.

Steph stood there as Ranger knocked on the door. This was probably over doing it. She thought. Eight people for one gay guy, he probably wasn't even going to put up a fight at least not until he saw his captors. He'd probably ask them to cuff him up. Ewww. Don't go there.

Adale opened the door and his eyes bugged out when he saw Ranger.

"You." Adale gushed. "Please come in."

Adale took a step back allowing Ranger's entrance. Ranger took half a step towards him not wanting to get to close to him.

"Ohhh," Adale stared at Lester and Bobby, totally ignoring Steph. "You brought friends terrific."

There was a crash from the back of the house, signaling that Tank and the guys were in the house. Adale went running toward the noise.

The guys kept the guns trained on him. Not wanting him to get away but not wanting to get close enough to cuff him either.

The cornered Adale in his kitchen. He stood there looking at the Rangemen; he looked like a kid in a candy store. The same kind of look that Steph got when she looked at the Rangemen.

To get the guys mind of off that look. She decided to talk to Adale.

"How did you get Ranger's number?"

Adale looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"What?"

"Ranger's number. How did you get it?"

"The first time I had dialed wrong. I was trying to get movie times." The guys looked at him in amazement.

"So you cut my brakes?"

"Yeah." He sneered. "When was he ever going to look in my direction if he had you hanging all over him?"

Ranger heard a couple of sniggers but he didn't know whom they had come from. If he ever found out they were dead.

"But now I have choices." Adale said clapping his hands and looking at the guys. The guys took a giant step backwards. Woody however was still too close to him. Adale looked him up and down.

"Is that all you?" Adale asked him reaching out to see for himself.

There was a quick scramble and before she knew it the men had placed her in between Adale and them. They were really hoping that she would take him down before he got to them. Men.

Ranger stood there completely dumbfounded that his team was actually hiding behind Steph.

Ranger eventually had to cuff Adale himself. The guys looked on in awe and disbelief as Ranger approached Adale.

"I'm going to put these on you, no funny business." He said sternly.

As soon as Ranger got close Adale tried to reach for him, Ranger knocked him back. Now watching him wearily. "No touching." Ranger grounded out.

"I'll do it." Steph said. The guys looked at her unsure, if she went over to cuff him there would be nothing in between them and Adale.

But they had nothing to worry about Steph was able to cuff him while he openly ogled Ranger.

They brought Adale outside and then had to figure out who was going to sit where. Not one of the guys wanted to be sitting in the back with him.

Ranger and Tank were finally picked to drive Adale to the station.

"Bring back Ben & Jerry's" Steph called and could hear Tank's booming laugh as the two of them climbed in to the SUV.

When Ranger returned to the apartment Steph was already in bed, as he climbed into bed he accidentally woke her up.

"How was the ride?"

"Fine, Babe."

"Does that mean you killed him?"

"No, go to sleep."

"Gay stalker." Steph laughed. Ranger poked her roughly in the ribs.

"Yes all the guys know about that thanks to Tank."

"It was too funny to pass up."

"Paybacks a bitch."

"I'm sure the guys will defend me."

Ranger didn't say anything, knowing that his men would be on her side if anything happened, especially after they had hid behind her tonight.

"You know that they are going to be playing tricks on you again, don't you."

"I'm sure they will."

"You don't seem worried."

Ranger just smiled not giving Steph an answer.

"Hmmm."

"Go to sleep."

Ranger waited until her breathing leveled off before he would fall asleep himself. Steph surprised him by talking again.

"Did you get me ice cream?"

"In the freezer."

"You're the best."

"I know. Go to sleep."

**THE END**


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